Changing Space - The Shrinking world

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Changing space - the shrinking world

Index

1. Time Space Convergence

2. Extensions and density of networks

3. The spread of mobile phones

Time Space Convergence

Key Terms

Transport systems: the means by which materials, products and people are transferred from place to place.
Communications systems: the ways in which information is transmitted from place to place in the form of ideas, instructions and images.
Diffusion: the spread of a phenomenon over time and space.
Friction of distance: as the distance from a place increases, the interactions with that place decrease, usually because the time and cost involved increase with distance.
Distance decay: the reduction in the amount of movement or spatial interaction between two places the greater the distance thy are apart.
Accessibility: a measure of the ease with which an individual can reach features in the wider environment.
Time-space convergence: this process concerns the changing relationship between time and space, and notably the impacts of transportation improvements on such a relationship. It is closely related to the concept of speed, which indicates how much space can be traveled over a specific amount of time.

Time-space divergence: when the journey time between places increases due to congestion, lower speed limits or other limiting factors.
Logistics: the management of the flow of goods, information and other resources between origin and point of consumption.
Supply chain: the movement of products from a manufacturer to a distributor to a retailer and any points in between.
Airline hub: an airport that an airline uses as a transfer point to get passengers to their intended destinations.
Deregulation: the lifting of government controls over an industry which usually results in greater competition and lower prices for consumers.
Bulk cargo: a commodity that is transported un-packaged in large quantities.
Energy pathways: supply routes between energy producers and consumers; they may be pipelines, shipping routes or electricity cables.
Choke point: a point at which traffic or other movement can easily become blocked.

Make notes on the YouTube on Globalization. Which devices made the world smaller, how did they do this and what impact have they had on the world?

What is Time-space convergence?
The process, made possible by technological innovations in transportation and communication, by which distant places are brought closer together in terms of the time taken to travel (or send messages) between them.

A MUST read - Transportation and Space
Essay: Explain what factors influence the Time-Space convergence?

Note: [10 mark] essays ONLY in Global Interactions do not require evaluation.

Extended watching:
Artfully Visualizing our Humanity

In what ways doe this video demonstrate the concept of a 'shrinking world'?

Print the following document to help explain how Sea and Air travel have impacted the world and what are the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Advantages - Disadvantages of Sea/Air Travel
File Size:	23 kb
File Type:	docx

Download File

Sea Travel - Containerization

View and discuss this BBC article on historical shipping

What does it show?
What were the constraints on shipping?
What has changed? (see image on right)

Modern Shipping Lanes

What is Containerization and what impact has it had on the world and Globalization? Watch the YouTube below.

Advantages

Cheaper over long distances
No cost in building transport routes (seas/oceans already exist)
Good for bulky low cost non-perishable goods e.g. coal
Costs are spread over a large area (modern container ships hold thousands of containers)
Containerization has sped up the process of loading and unloading. Unlike planes containers can be directly transferred to lorries and trains.
Refrigerated containers now allow more products to be transported

Disadvantages

Much slower than air travel
Some countries are landlocked so can not receive shipments
Ships are expensive to build - steel is expensive
There are long waiting lists for large containers ships
Oil prices are expensive so fuel for ships is expensive
Some routes have to be built and maintained and enlarged e.g. Panama and Suez Canal
Some shipping routes have to be dredged
Ports are expensive to build and can damage delicate wetland areas
Risk of attack by pirates and cost of protecting ships e.g. Horn of Africa
Ships can have accidents and cause environmental damage e.g. oil leaks and hitting reefs
Cargo can be lost overboard in bad weather
Can encourage smuggling

Air Travel

Watch the YouTube on the left and consider. Where are the largest concentrations of flights and when do they occur?

Advantages

Fast over long distances
Planes don't get stuck in traffic, unlike cars and lorries
Good for high value perishable goods e.g. flowers, animals
Can reach landlocked countries

Disadvantages

Planes cause a lot of pollution (noise, air and visual) - contribute greenhouse effect
Cost of flying is expensive, especially as price of oil increases
Airports are expensive to build and take up large areas
Can only carry small loads compared to ships
Air routes are fixed
Planes can be cancelled due to bad weather
Aircraft are expensive to build and maintain
Waiting lists for aircraft are long

How the air industry has changed - Images from the Telegraph Airline History

Extensions and Density of Networks

Key Terms

Internet: a global system of interconnected computer networks.
Internet penetration rate: the percentage of the population in a country or world region which access to the internet.
Cyberspace: the virtual shared universe of the world's computer networks; it has come to describe the global information space.
Digital divide: refers to the gap between people with effective access to digital and information technology and those with very limited access to it, or none at all.

Green data centers: data centers that are much more efficient at cooling computers compared with traditional data centers.
Global civil society: all movements, associations or individual citizens, independent from the state, whose aim is to transform policies, standards or social structures through communal efforts at a national or international level.

Information and the Internet

What is the internet and why has it grown?
Watch the YouTube on the right and read the article from the Daily Mail.

Describe the pattern of internet growth. Use the BBC Technology map and the image on the left.

The internet does not just exist as a 'cloud' concept it is based in physical technology and networks. Explain what this means and give examples.

Make notes on how the internet has changed the world:

IB Style Question:
Explain what the internet is and how it has further 'shrunk' the world. [10]

The Spread of Mobile Phones

Possible project:
Donating old mobile phones for charity

Case Study: Kenya Vs. France

Compare the top mobile phone using countries in the world. Pay especial attention to number of phones per 100 people.

Watch the following two YouTubes and make notes on how mobile phones have changed over the last few years. What about Africa? What has been the impact on the African continent?

Africa’s Mobile Explosion

Worksheet - The mobile phone industry over the years
File Size:	82 kb
File Type:	docx

Download File

For further evidence on mobile phone penetration

We Are Social - Guide to social digital and mobile worldwide jan2014 from Digital Insurance

Use the Slide Share on the right to fill in this worksheet.

Worksheet - Kenya template
File Size:	134 kb
File Type:	docx

Download File

Silicon Savannah - Why Nairobi Is The Next World Tech Capital from On Device Research

Make further notes using the following links and YouTubes:

Discuss the following graphs? Compare France to Kenya

IB Style Question:
Discuss how important the mobile phone has been to contributing to the reduction in frictional distance in the world [15]